Cyclometalated Iridium(III) Complexes Containing Hydroxide/Chloride Ligands: Isolation of Heterobridged Dinuclear Iridium(III) Compounds Containing μ-OH and μ-Pyrazole Ligands

Dinuclear metal complexes: multifunctional properties and applications

Dinuclear metal complexes have enabled breakthroughs in OLEDs, photocatalytic water splitting and CO₂reduction, DSPEC, chemosensors, biosensors, PDT and smart materials.

Iridium porphyrin complexes with μ-nitrido, hydroxo, hydrosulfido and alkynyl ligands

Iridium porphyrin complexes containing μ-nitrido, hydroxo, hydrosulfido, and alkynyl ligands have been synthesized and structurally characterized, and their oxidation has been studied. The alkyl-IrIII porphyrin complex [Ir(tpp)R] (tpp2- = 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin dianion; R = C8H13; 1) was synthesized by reaction of [Ir(cod)Cl]2 (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) with H2tpp in refluxing monoethylene glycol. Treatment of 1 with PPh3 and [(LOEt)Ru(N)Cl2] (LOEt- = [(η5-C5H5)Co{P(O)(OEt)2}3]-) gave [Ir(tpp)(R)(PPh3)] (2) and the μ-nitrido complex [R(tpp)Ir(μ-N)RuCl2(LOEt)] (3), respectively. The cyclic voltammogram of 3 exhibited a reversible oxidation couple at 0.44 V versus Fc+/0 (Fc = ferrocene). The oxidation of 3 with [(4-BrC6H4)3N](SbCl6) resulted in Ir-C bond homolysis and formation of the chloride complex [Cl(tpp)Ir(μ-N)RuCl2(LOEt)] (4). The short Ir-N(nitrido) bond distances in 3 [1.944(3) Å] and 4 [1.831(4) Å] are indicative of multiple bond character and thus these two μ-nitrido complexes can be described by the two resonance forms: IrIII-N[triple bond, length as m-dash]RuVI and IrV[double bond, length as m-dash]N[double bond, length as m-dash]RuIV. Similarly, the oxidation of 2 with [(4-BrC6H4)3N](SbCl6) yielded [Ir(tpp)Cl(PPh3)] (5). Chloride abstraction of 5 with TlPF6 in tetrahydrofuran (thf) afforded [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)(thf)](PF6) (6) that reacted with CsOH·H2O and Li2S to give the hydroxo [Ir(tpp)(OH)(PPh3)] (7) and hydrosulfido [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)(SH)] (8) complexes, respectively. Treatment of 6 with phenylacetylene in the presence of CuI and Et3N yielded the bimetallic complex [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)(μ-η1:η2-C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)(CuI)] (9), whereas the transmetallation of 6 with LiC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh afforded the mononuclear alkynyl complex [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)(C[triple bond, length as m-dash]CPh)] (10). The electrochemistry of the Ir porphyrin complexes has been studied using cyclic voltammetry. On the basis of the measured redox potentials of [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)X], the ability of X- to stabilize the IrIV state is ranked in the order: R- > PhC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C- > Cl- ∼ OH-. Oxidation of 8 and 9 with [(4-BrC6H4)3N](SbCl6) led to isolation of 5 and [Ir(tpp)(PPh3)(H2O)]+, respectively. The crystal structures of complexes 3, 4, and 7-10 have been determined.

Cyclometalated Ir(III) Complex as a Metalloligand and a Selective Cu(II) Sensor: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Heterometallic Tetranuclear Ir(III)/Cu(II) Complex

A cyclometalated Ir(III) complex, [Ir(ppy)2(LH)] (2) [LH2 = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)benzene; ppyH = 2-phenylpyridine] was synthesized and structurally characterized. [Ir(ppy)2(LH)] contains free donor sites and functions as a metalloligand. Accordingly, it interacts with a Cu(II) salt to afford the heterometallic tetranuclear complex, [{Ir(ppy)2(L)}2{Cu2Cl2}] (3). In the latter, a Cu2Cl2 dimer bridges the two cyclometalated Ir(III) units, resulting in a IrIII-CuII-CuII-IrIII motif. 2 also functions as a selective and reversible sensor for Cu2+, as revealed by quenching of its emission and subsequent revival of the luminescence signal upon addition of EDTA.

Sky-blue emitting bridged diiridium complexes: beneficial effects of intramolecular π-π stacking

The potential of intramolecular π-π interactions to influence the photophysical properties of diiridium complexes is an unexplored topic, and provides the motivation for the present study. A series of diarylhydrazide-bridged diiridium complexes functionalised with phenylpyridine (ppy)-based cyclometalating ligands is reported. It is shown by NMR studies in solution and single crystal X-ray analysis that intramolecular π-π interactions between the bridging and cyclometalating ligands rigidify the complexes leading to high luminescence quantum efficiencies in solution and in doped films. Fluorine substituents on the phenyl rings of the bridge promote the intramolecular π-π interactions. Notably, these non-covalent interactions are harnessed in the rational design and synthesis of the first examples of highly emissive sky-blue diiridium complexes featuring conjugated bridging ligands, for which they play a vital role in the structural and photophysical properties. Experimental results are supported by computational studies.

Pyrimidine-Based Mononuclear and Dinuclear Iridium(III) Complexes for High Performance Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Containing two nitrogen atoms, the electron-deficient pyrimidine ring has excellent coordinating capability with transition metal ions. However, compared with the widely used pyridine ring, applications of the pyrimidine ring in phosphorescent Ir(III) complexes are rare. In this research, two highly emissive pyrimidine-based mononuclear Ir(III) complexes and their corresponding dinuclear Ir(III) complexes were prepared with a simple one-pot reaction. The incorporation of the second Ir(III) center can lead to dramatic differences of both photophysical and electrochemical properties between the mono- and dinuclear complexes. Besides, these properties can also be fine-tuned with different substituents. Theoretical calculations have also been performed to understand their photophysical behaviors. The electroluminescent investigations demonstrate that the pyrimidine-based mono- and dinuclear Ir(III) complexes could show impressive device performance. The vacuum-deposited organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on the mononuclear Ir(III) complex exhibited an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.1% with almost no efficiency roll-off even at 10 000 cd m^-2. More encouragingly, the solution-processed OLED based on the dinuclear Ir(III) complex achieved the outstanding EQE, current efficiency (CE), and power efficiency (PE) of 17.9%, 52.5 cd A^-1, and 51.2 lm W^-1, respectively, representing the highest efficiencies ever achieved by OLEDs based on dinuclear Ir(III) complexes.

From Mononuclear to Dinuclear Iridium(III) Complex: Effective Tuning of the Optoelectronic Characteristics for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Phosphorescent dinuclear iridium(III) complexes that can show high luminescent efficiencies and good electroluminescent abilities are very rare. In this paper, highly phosphorescent 2-phenylpyrimidine-based dinuclear iridium(III) complexes have been synthesized and fully characterized. Significant differences of the photophysical and electrochemical properties between the mono- and dinuclear complexes are observed. The theoretical calculation results show that the dinuclear complexes adopt a unique molecular orbital spatial distribution pattern, which plays the key role of determining their photophysical and electrochemical properties. More importantly, the solution-processed organic light-emitting diode (OLED) based on the new dinuclear iridium(III) complex achieves a peak external quantum efficiency (η(ext)) of 14.4%, which is the highest η(ext) for OLEDs using dinuclear iridium(III) complexes as emitters. Besides, the efficiencies of the OLED based on the dinuclear iridium(III) complex are much higher that those of the OLED based on the corresponding mononuclear iridium(III) complex.

New exploration towards dinuclear iridium(ii) complexes materials under chlorine-bridged precursor

As an important precursor for synthesizing Iridium complex, two similar chlorine-bridged dinuclear complexes, which are bright, were studied by experiment and theory.

Oxyfunctionalization with Cp*Ir(III)(NHC)(Me)(Cl) with O₂: identification of a rare bimetallic Ir(IV) μ-oxo intermediate

Methanol formation from [Cp*Ir(III)(NHC)Me(CD2Cl2)](+) occurs quantitatively at room temperature with air (O2) as the oxidant and ethanol as a proton source. A rare example of a diiridium bimetallic complex, [(Cp*Ir(NHC)Me)2(μ-O)][(BAr(F)4)2], 3, was isolated and shown to be an intermediate in this reaction. The electronic absorption spectrum of 3 features a broad observation at ∼660 nm, which is primarily responsible for its blue color. In addition, 3 is diamagnetic and can be characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Complex 3 was also characterized by X-ray crystallography and contains an Ir(IV)-O-Ir(IV) core in which two d(5) Ir(IV) centers are bridged by an oxo ligand. DFT and MCSCF calculations reveal several important features of the electronic structure of 3, most notably, that the μ-oxo bridge facilitates communication between the two Ir centers, and σ/π mixing yields a nonlinear arrangement of the μ-oxo core (Ir-O-Ir ∼ 150°) to facilitate oxygen atom transfer. The formation of 3 results from an Ir oxo/oxyl intermediate that may be described by two competing bonding models, which are close in energy and have formal Ir-O bond orders of 2 but differ markedly in their electronic structures. The radical traps TEMPO and 1,4-cyclohexadiene do not inhibit the formation of 3; however, methanol formation from 3 is inhibited by TEMPO. Isotope labeling studies confirmed the origin of the methyl group in the methanol product is the iridium-methyl bond in the [Cp*Ir(NHC)Me(CD2Cl2)][BAr(F)4] starting material. Isolation of the diiridium-containing product [(Cp*Ir(NHC)Cl)2][(BAr(F)4)2], 4, in high yields at the end of the reaction suggests that the Cp* and NHC ligands remain bound to the iridium and are not significantly degraded under reaction conditions.